2026 Fantasy Baseball Busts – Catcher

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  • By SportsEthos Staff

    Last Updated on January 19, 2026 2:17 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: January 19, 2026

    There were some new names busting on the scene in 2025.

    Hunter Goodman, Agustin Ramirez, Shea Langeliers and Ben Rice are examples of players that added some much needed depth of talent at the catcher position.

    But for 2026, managers need to separate the pretenders from the pack.

    This is were we come in.

    What follows is a list of potential busts and players our contributors are avoiding at their current ADP.

    NOTE: The ADP is from NFBC Draft Champion leagues.

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    Larry Vannozzi

    Cal Raleigh – ADP – 17.95/C1

    Raleigh was a Top 5 player last year and has a second round ADP as of January 16. Can we really pay that price for a guy coming off of, not just a career year but an HISTORIC year? Last year’s 60 homers were almost double his previous career high and his batting average was 20 points better than his career average. What if one of those factors regress? What if BOTH regress? I like Raleigh and he’s worth being the No. 1 catcher but he’s falling this year. I occasionally go wrong by avoiding guys who are coming off incredible years (ahem, Ohtani and Judge) but I like my chances here calling Raleigh a bust at this ADP.

    Nathan Baker

    Cal Raleigh – ADP – 17.95/C1

    Fine, boo me, throw tomatoes at me, I don’t care. I recommended drafting Raleigh last season, and got him myself in multiple leagues around the eighth round, where he subsequently produced the best offensive season by a catcher in modern history.

    His ADP is now up to 17 to reflect that, which is indicative of just how valuable he was last season, but not how valuable he is compared to the games’ other elite talent. In the same neighborhood, you could draft Gunnar Henderson, Fernando Tatis Jr., Francisco Lindor, Kyle Tucker, Nick Kurtz or Vladimir Guerrero Jr., all of them project favorably to Raleigh, even at less premium positions.

    I could badger on about some peripheral concerns about the high chase rate (32%), but I don’t mind projecting Raleigh to be great with his power, I just mind the value. It wouldn’t shock me if Ben Rice puts up more total points at 59, which saves you at least two, if not three rounds for similar production; likewise, you can get similar production without the volume from Will Smith at 100, or similar volume without the production from numerous options outside the top 100.

    All of these are preferable to spending your mid second round pick on an elite player, but one who’s probably seen his best offensive season happen last year.

    Adley Rutschman – ADP – 163.83/C11

    Trade rumors have circulated Rutschman since the promotion and extension of top prospect Samuel Basallo, who is being drafted about a full round after his teammate, but the possibility of playing Basallo at first base existed before this off-season.

    After the signing of Pete Alonso, who is insistent on remaining in the field full-time, only one of the two will play in the field regularly, with the other left to serve as a designated hitter on off days. Even with the bad luck that Rutschman endured early in the season before his injury, we’ve seen a season and a half of very poor production from the former top draft pick, starting from the All-Star break in 2024.

    Concerns about negative swing changes may or may not prove to be substantiated, but his playing time is now at risk in a team with an under pressure GM and all the tools to replace him; if he isn’t traded, and starts out cold, he could see his playing time evaporated in an instant, which is not a risk I’d love to take at this point. If I’m drafting an Orioles catcher, I’m waiting the extra twelve picks, or drafting Francisco Alvarez 25 spots later.

    Jeff Clowers

    Hunter Goodman – ADP – 70.63/C5

    Who wouldn’t want to roster a 30-home run catcher who plays his home games in Coors? It’s hard enough finding a catching option that projects for 20+ long balls, let alone 30, but even though I don’t expect the bottom to fall out completely on Goodman in 2026, there’s a handful of red flags from his 2025 season that give me enough pause to slot him below several other backstops currently being drafted after him.


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    January 19, 2026, 2:17 pm